Tag Archives: DIY beauty

Me: Hi! So good to see you! Uhh…sorry about my hair…I’m transitioning to a no-chemical hair routine and my hair is detoxing. I really do shower…uhhhh…

Yeah. The transition period of the no-chemical thing is NO FUN. I feel like I’m 13 all over again. And trust me, 13 was not a good year.

I’m not sure if my hair is finally adjusting or I’m finally figuring out the best way to go “no shampoo.” I’ve done this before and I don’t remember the transition time looking like I hadn’t showered in a week.

I think I’ve finally settled on a good routine. Before I wash my hair, I pour about 1 1/2 TBSP baking soda into a little container. When I’m ready to wash my hair, I fill the rest of it with warm water, gently pour it over my head, and massage it into my scalp and rinse. Following that I pour about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar into a large plastic cup (I get my ACV for personal care use organic by the gallon) and fill the rest with warm water. Pour over hair (avoid the eyes!!!) and let sit on your hair for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly. When I had longer hair I used to dip sections of my hair into the cup at a time. Now that it’s short it’s easier to cover all of my hair with the rinse.

I am still researching homemade shampoo. If you are looking for natural shampoo options, be sure to check out my Pinterest board for a look at the ideas I find.

Completely random conversation that just happened at the Hippie House this morning:

Peter: “You know, I’ve been using your tooth powder recipe for about a month now and my teeth feel stronger and clean.”

Me: *socially awkward happy dance*

My adventures in making our own tooth paste started last year when I thought I was getting a cavity. I consulted the internet for a homemade toothpaste recipe and ran to Whole Foods for the ingredients. I kept it as a tooth powder instead of a paste because the pipes in my apartment were questionable and I didn’t want to clog them with coconut oil. After using it in conjunction with oil pulling (which you spit into the toilet or the trash can, out of respect for the afore-mentioned pipes), my teeth were not only healed and felt stronger, but the dental hygienist spent 20 minutes at my appointment looking for any signs of plaque or tartar and found NONE. Natural health for the win!

The downside to the recipe that I used was that it left a brown residue in the sink from the cinnamon and cloves. So, when I FINALLY (about 8 months later) ran out last week, I consulted Pinterest and after not finding anything I liked enough to copy, I made my own.

Recipe:

The result? A silky-smooth tooth powder that doesn’t leave a nasty brown residue in the sink. The On Guard blend has cloves in it, so we still get the immune-protecting effect and a pleasant orange after-taste. We keep it in a jar by the sink and dip our wetted toothbrushes. This is by far the easiest recipe I have found. The ingredients are simple and it doesn’t take any special prep!

I learned a long time ago that I cannot use “oil-free” products on my oily skin. My skin gets dry, irritated, and reacts with more oil than I had in the first place. It sounds like it would be counter-intuitive, but putting oil on your face actually helps calm oily skin and keeps it from over-producing. I already practice oil-washing a few times a month which is the same concept (more on that in a later post), so this wasn’t a big hippie leap for me. The tallow is apparently very similar in chemical structure to our own sebaceous glands that our skin is able to use it as a moisturizer. Since Mommypotamus already had a wonderful post on it, I will just direct you there to learn all the science behind the tallow.

In my personal experience with tallow, I have found it absolutely wonderful as a skin care product. Sure, I smell like hamburger for a minute every time I put it on, but it’s shelf-stable, you only need a tiny bit for your whole face, and it absorbs quickly. I wake up in the morning and my skin is bright, clear, and markedly more moisturized.

I render my own tallow using the crock pot method, but you can also purchase some here.